Instead of cooking curry from scratch, curry paste is a good option to help you make a delicious homemade dish in a short time. Since there are many types of curry, you may wonder how are they different and what needs to be considered when it comes to choosing the right curry paste.
Don't worry! You'll find the answer in this article from our buying guide, reviewed by a professional chef. We've also provided you 10 recommended products you can buy online. Check and see if you're interested in any of them.
Image | 1 ![]() Kitchens of India | 2 ![]() Mae Ploy | 3 ![]() S&B | 4 ![]() Maesri | 5 ![]() Mae Ploy | 6 ![]() Kitchens of India | 7 ![]() CoCo Ichibanya Curry House | 8 ![]() Thai Kitchen | 9 ![]() Patak's | 10 ![]() House Foods |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Name | Butter Chicken Curry Paste | Green Curry Paste | Golden Curry Sauce Mix Extra Hot | Panang Curry Paste | Yellow Curry Paste | Paste for Tikka Masala | Curry Mix | Red Curry Paste | Mild Curry Paste | Vermont Curry |
Features | A Buttery and Creamy Curry Made with Natural Ingredients | An Authentic Thai Curry Guarantee | A Spicy Version of Japanese Curry is Worth a Try! | Sweet and Salty with a Scent of Kaffir Lime Leaves | Quick and Easy Homemade Coconut Milk Curry | Tomato-Cream Sauce with Strong Spices | Individual-Sized Curry Sauce from a Popular Japanese Curry Shop | Traditional Thai Taste with Lemongrass, Galangal and Chilis | A Rich, Deep-Flavored Indian Curry with a Hint of Spice | A Simple Curry with the Sweetness from Apple and Honey |
Price | $10.80 | $10.68 | $22.39 | $10.88 | $10.58 | $22.99 | $33.84 | $14.52 | $8.25 | $14.76 |
Origin | India | Thailand | Japan | Thailand | Thailand | India | Japan | Thailand | India | Japan |
Type of curry | Butter chicken curry | Green curry | Japanese curry | Panang curry | Yellow curry | Tikka masala | Japanese curry | Red curry | Coriander & cumin base | Japanese curry |
Spice level | Mild-medium | Medium-hot | Extra hot | Mild-medium | Mild | Medium | Mild | Medium | Mild | Medium |
Amount | 3.5 oz. per pack | 2 lbs. 3 oz. | 8.4 oz. per box | 4 oz. per can | 2 lbs. 3 oz. | 3.5 oz. | 24 oz. per packet (1 serving per packet) | 4 oz. per jar | 10 oz. | 8.11 oz. per box |
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Here are our 10 best picks for curry pastes. We made our choices based on the points listed in the buying guide below, as well as reviewer comments when available.
*Please note that these products were chosen after extensive research by mybest writers. The choices are not necessarily affiliated with or recommended by Jim Quast.
6 pack
$10.80
Origin | India |
---|---|
Type of curry | Butter chicken curry |
Spice level | Mild-medium |
Amount | 3.5 oz. per pack |
$10.68
Origin | Thailand |
---|---|
Type of curry | Green curry |
Spice level | Medium-hot |
Amount | 2 lbs. 3 oz. |
5-pack
$22.39
Origin | Japan |
---|---|
Type of curry | Japanese curry |
Spice level | Extra hot |
Amount | 8.4 oz. per box |
4-pack
$10.88
Origin | Thailand |
---|---|
Type of curry | Panang curry |
Spice level | Mild-medium |
Amount | 4 oz. per can |
$10.58
Origin | Thailand |
---|---|
Type of curry | Yellow curry |
Spice level | Mild |
Amount | 2 lbs. 3 oz. |
6-pack
$22.99
Origin | India |
---|---|
Type of curry | Tikka masala |
Spice level | Medium |
Amount | 3.5 oz. |
Variety pack, 4 flavors
$33.84
Origin | Japan |
---|---|
Type of curry | Japanese curry |
Spice level | Mild |
Amount | 24 oz. per packet (1 serving per packet) |
6-pack
$14.52
Origin | Thailand |
---|---|
Type of curry | Red curry |
Spice level | Medium |
Amount | 4 oz. per jar |
$8.25
Origin | India |
---|---|
Type of curry | Coriander & cumin base |
Spice level | Mild |
Amount | 10 oz. |
2-pack
$14.76
Origin | Japan |
---|---|
Type of curry | Japanese curry |
Spice level | Medium |
Amount | 8.11 oz. per box |
Beside choosing your favorite flavor, there are other important things that we suggest you to check such as type of curry flavor, storage, and cooking instructions.
You may find various types of curry paste from different countries; however, the most popular curry pastes seem to be from these three countries: Japan, Thailand, and India.
Japanese curry has a sweet taste, mild heat compared to other types of curry, and thick texture. The sweet taste usually comes from honey, sugar, or fruit like apples, and the brown color is from roux.
You can add any type of meat, seafood, and vegetable, but the usual ingredients are meats and vegetables like onions, potatoes, and carrots. Japanese curries normally come in cube or sauce form instead of paste, but we think they’re still worth a shoutout in this article!
There are three main types of Thai curry: green, red, and yellow. What makes them different in colors are the types of chili, spices, and herbs. Although these curry pastes are different in ingredients, they use the same ingredient of the soup base, coconut milk.
The most popular type of Thai curry, green curry paste, uses green chilis, cilantro root, kaffir, sweet basil, and lemongrass. If you want a typical Thai taste, add Thai eggplant, bamboo, sweet basil, and turkey berry when you cook. Green curry goes better with meat than seafood.
Red curry uses dried red chilis as one of the main ingredients. There are many types of curry that use red curry like Gang Dang and Panang. Each type of curry uses different ingredients.
For example, typical Panang usually contains simple ingredients like meat and garnishes of shredded kaffir and red peppers. Besides curry, red curry paste can also be used in many other Thai dishes, too!
The most popular yellow curry is called massaman. Yellow curry is the mildest and often made with coriander, cumin, lemongrass ginger, garlic, and yellow or red chili. It goes well with beef or chicken and vegetables like potatoes, onions, and peanuts.
However, this doesn’t mean people who dislike spicy food can’t eat green and red curry. If you want mild spice, you can reduce the amount of curry paste but it might not taste as good as spicy ones.
Indian curry has the strongest smell and taste among all types of curry. Each type of curry uses a combination of herbs and spices like coriander, turmeric, cumin, nutmeg, cardamom, clove, and more.
Some of the most popular types of Indian curry are butter chicken and tikka masala. Butter chicken is mild, sweet, and creamy. The main added ingredients are butter, cream, yogurt, onion, tomato, and vegetable oil.
But if you like spicy and earthy tastes, you will like Tikka Masala. The added ingredients are quite similar to butter chicken and include yogurt, fresh or canned tomatoes, onions, chopped cilantro, and vegetable oil. Both types of curry go well with chicken.
A curry paste for one-dish use usually comes in packets or cans. These types of packaging are small and light, don’t take up much space and are convenient to bring places. If you want to cook a bigger portion or plan to use it for many meals, you might want to consider glass jars or plastic containers since they usually come in bigger sizes.
Once opened, make sure you store the leftover paste in the fridge. It usually lasts for two four to 4 weeks before it goes bad.
In general, unopened curry pastes have a long shelf life for approximately three years, but each product is different, so we recommend you to always check the expiry date before buying.
To make a complete curry dish, you need other ingredients besides curry paste like vegetables, meat, and a soup base. Some just need water! Each type of curry is different, so make sure to check what other ingredients you need.
Some require more ingredients than others. For example, you can use meat, vegetables, and water as a soup base for Japanese curry, but you will need meat, vegetables, herbs, and coconut milk to make a good Thai curry.
However, some brands offer an easier alternative that can shorten cooking steps and save time, such as using a microwave instead of the stovetop. You can also find a 2-in-1 curry paste and soup base, too!
Since there is more than one ingredient required to make a dish of curry, you might want to check out our suggestions for other ingredients as well.
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